Deep History, Deepening Collaborations

23 The Signet Office Ireland TNA, SO 1 records are copies of letters issued by the monarch. Many describe official matters, such as the appointment of governors or bishops, but others are more personal. This letter is making a gift of land adjoining the Phoenix Park in Dublin to a French Protestant (Huguenot), driven out of France by the persecutions of Louis XIV. Charles II actively encouraged Huguenots to settle in Ireland, passing new laws to grant them citizenship and property rights. Here we meet James Hiersome as he successfully puts down roots in Dublin. Hiersome joined the Church of Ireland and was acting as a vicar in Chapelizod.